The Daily Campus notes several connections between the former president and the university — SMU is home to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and his wife Laura Bush, an alumna, sits on the school's Board of Trustees. As governor of Texas, Bush previously spoke at SMU's commencement in 1999.

"This Commencement is especially noteworthy because 2015 is the 100-year anniversary of SMU's opening. So it is fitting that we should hear from a president who led our nation and the world during historic times and is a valued member of the campus community," SMU President R. Gerald Turner in a press release, according to The Daily Campus.